She is a really, really talented artist. Check out her work here.

We commissioned her to do a piece for our bedroom.

The photo we gave her was one that was taken on my first trip with Luke’s family to St. Pete Beach, FL (we had just started dating then).

St. Pete has been a special place to both Luke and myself… well even before we met. I grew up there until I started 6th grade. Luke and his family have been vacationing on the beach there since he was a baby. And that first trip together (in the painting) was just the beginning, we have been back countless times and have made so many wonderful memories with our own little family.

We knew it was the perfect thing for us to have in our room to remind us each day of how blessed we truly are.

Here are a few images of the painting in our room (don’t mind our hand-me-down furniture).

Even the texture on the painting is amazing..

She also gave us another painting as a gift. I love this one as well

They sealed the deal a couple weeks ago in Ft Lauderdale. Here are a few images from the day below. Enjoy!

And thank you to both C & K’s wonderful families for making us feel like more than just a wedding vendor, but wedding guests.

Congrats you two!

They really are one of my favorite things to do. Why, you may ask? Well, I have lots of reasons…

One, it gives us a chance to hang out. We can spend time together before the whirlwind of your wedding day. I get to know you as a couple and you get learn what it’s like to be in front of my camera.

Two, and my favorite reason, you are left with images that represent you as a couple, just as you are, right now, in this stage of your relationship. I love that you can look back on the images in 25 years with your children or grandchildren and remember what it was like.

Because I believe these sessions are so important, I put together a few tips so you can get the most out of your engagement pictures with us.

Tip #1- Inspiration.

There is inspiration EVERYWHERE these days. Wedding blogs, magazines, Pinterest, Facebook, the list goes on. I think it is awesome to have so many resources as a bride…. but I do know that it can be overwhelming at times too. You see a bajillion cute ideas and you will find yourself wanting to copy all of them. My advice is this… your inspiration needs to come from YOUR relationship. What you love doing together, maybe a special place to you as a couple, etc. That’s where I would start! If you have never gone on a picnic… then don’t feel like you have to put together a stylized picnic session. That’s not you guys!

We love to help our couples in this area… which is why we give you a questionnaire to tell us about yourselves. That will help us come up with ideas that fit you as a couple.

Tip #2- What to wear.

When choosing your wardrobe, think about where your shoot will be and what kind of look you are going for. Wear something you feel awesome in. And yes, you can try to coordinate not only color palette, but also style of clothing… but don’t feel you have to be too matchy. If you wouldn’t normally go out to eat both wearing white shirts and jeans, then please don’t come to your session matching either.

As always, if you are unsure of what you should wear, just ask! You can always bring a few options as well the day of.

Tip #3- When to do the session.

There really isn’t a “right” answer to this question. The answer really is.. whatever works for you!

I usually tell my clients it depends on what you plan on using the photos for. If you plan on using them in a save the date or invitation, I would recommend taking the photos at least 6 months before your wedding date. If you want to use them for the reception decor or your guest book, at least 2 months before is a good amount of time. If you just plan on using them for yourselves to decorate your home, etc. You could do them as late as the week of your wedding honestly (this sometimes works better for destination weddings, because the couple will only have to come in to town once).

I hope these tips have helped you in coming up with ideas for your session!

We are super excited for the October NYC wedding this year.

I had a blast having lunch and hanging out with you guys for the day. Here’s a look back at our time together.

So changes are on the way for my family (and on the way for Captured as well).

I honestly feel a little funny writing this post today… just because I don’t want to be viewed as a saint… or like I am tuting my own horn.

That is not my intention! And let me say, that the decisions we are making are based on faith. We believe that God has a plan and purpose for our lives, bigger than we can even realize or imagine. We just need to be obedient to what He asks us to do. He will get the glory in this… because we can’t do without Him.

My husband Luke and I have always been passionate about parenting. We both had awesome sets of parents. And the older we have gotten and the more we have worked with kids, we realize that parenting really is the biggest impact you can have on a child.

There’s no way to hide it, God’s passionate about parenting too. He’s especially burdened for the orphan, the fatherless, the one’s without a home.

This burden has also started to grow strong in our hearts as well. After looking into the facts, we were amazed at how many kids are in need of adoptive/foster homes. Which has led us to our decision to begin fostering newborns.

I felt like it was just yesterday we started the process, but in just a month or so… we will be ready to take in our first child. It’s exciting. Terrifying. Nerve-wrecking. But, we are stepping out in faith.

How does this affect the business?

Well, starting next year (2014), I will cap my wedding count at 20 weddings in a year. I will also cut back on portrait sessions as well.

We already are about half way to the 20 mark now for 2014. So, I wanted to make sure everyone knew in advance! It’s sad to tell people no… but I also know that I am going to have to be better about the workload I take on.

Thank to everyone for your support and prayers for our family during this time. We really couldn’t do this without the incredible support system we have around us.

And, I have had a few clients asking how they can help (because I have the best clients ever)… Here’s a link to a registry with some items we can still use/want for the babies that come in our home.

I loved that they had so many details throughout the day that were unique to them as a couple.

I hope you enjoy this look back! Also, check out the end of the post for a few film shots I took for fun.

PS: The day would not have been possible without these wonderful vendors below….

Florist: Heaven & Earth Floral

Caterer: Christafaro’s Catering

Cake: The Sugar Monkey

Coordinator: Jane Hutton

I think Erika’s bouquet was my favorite bouquet so far this year!

Meet Alfie, their pup.

And some film…